Use of voltage and current measurements to control dual zone ceramic pedestals

ABSTRACT

A method for controlling temperature of a substrate support includes receiving first and second currents corresponding to first and second heater elements, respectively, of a substrate support, receiving first and second voltages corresponding to the first and second heater elements, respectively, calculating a first resistance of the first heater element based on the first voltage and the first current, calculating a second resistance of the second heater element based on the second voltage and the second current, calculating a first temperature of a first zone of the substrate support based on the first resistance and stored data correlating resistances to temperatures, calculating a second temperature of a second zone of the substrate support based on the second resistance and the stored data, and selectively adjusting the stored data based on a comparison between a sensed temperature and at least one of the calculated first temperature and second temperature.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present disclosure is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 15/972,850 filed on May 7, 2018. The entire disclosure of theapplication referenced above is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a temperature tunable pedestal for anALD substrate processing chamber.

BACKGROUND

The background description provided here is for the purpose of generallypresenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently namedinventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, aswell as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify asprior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedlyadmitted as prior art against the present disclosure.

Substrate processing systems may be used to treat substrates such assemiconductor wafers. Examples of substrate treatments include etching,deposition, photoresist removal, etc. During processing, the substrateis arranged on a substrate support such as an electrostatic chuck andone or more process gases may be introduced into the processing chamber.

The one or more processing gases may be delivered by a gas deliverysystem to the processing chamber. In some systems, the gas deliverysystem includes a manifold connected by one or more conduits to ashowerhead that is located in the processing chamber. In some examples,processes use atomic layer deposition (ALD) to deposit a thin film on asubstrate.

SUMMARY

A controller for a substrate processing system includes a resistancecalculation module configured to receive a first current and a secondcurrent corresponding to a first heater element and a second heaterelement, respectively, of a substrate support, receive a first voltageand a second voltage corresponding to the first heater element and thesecond heater element, respectively, calculate a first resistance of thefirst heater element based on the first voltage and the first current,and calculate a second resistance of the second heater element based onthe second voltage and the second current. A temperature control moduleis configured to separately control power provided to the first heaterelement and the second heater element based on the first resistance andthe second resistance, respectively, and respective relationshipsbetween the first resistance and a first temperature of a first zone ofthe substrate support and the second resistance and a second temperatureof a second zone of the substrate support.

In other features, the resistance calculation module is furtherconfigured to calculate a first power associated with the first heaterelement based on the first voltage and the first current and calculate asecond power associated with the second heater element based on thesecond voltage and the second current. A temperature calculation moduleis configured to calculate a first temperature of a first zone of thesubstrate support based on the first resistance and calculate a secondtemperature of a second zone of the substrate support based on thesecond resistance. To control the power based on the first resistanceand the second resistance, the temperature control module is configuredto control the power provided to the first heater element and the secondheater element based on the first temperature and the secondtemperature, respectively.

In other features, the temperature calculation module is furtherconfigured to calculate the first temperature and the second temperaturebased on a thermal coefficient of resistance of a material of the firstheater element and the second heater element. The material has a thermalcoefficient of resistance of at least 1.0%. The temperature calculationmodule stores data correlating resistances of the material withrespective temperatures of the material, and wherein the temperaturecalculation module is configured to calculate the first temperature andthe second temperature further based on the stored data. The stored dataincludes a conversion table. The temperature calculation module isconfigured to calculate a correction factor based on differences betweena plurality of measured temperatures of at least one of the first zoneand the second zone and a plurality of calculated temperatures of thefirst zone and the second zone and modify an output of the conversiontable based on the correction factor.

In other features, the temperature calculation module is configured tocalculate the first temperature and the second temperature during anatomic layer deposition process. The temperature control module isfurther configured to, in response to a change in a thermal load in thefirst zone causing a change in the first resistance, adjust the powerprovided to the first heater element. The temperature control module isfurther configured to adjust the power provided to the first heaterelement and the second heater element such that the first temperatureand the second temperature are different. A substrate processing systemincludes the controller and the substrate support and the controller isfurther configured to control an atomic layer deposition processperformed on a substrate arranged on the substrate support.

A method for controlling temperature of a substrate support in asubstrate processing system includes receiving a first current and asecond current corresponding to a first heater element and a secondheater element, respectively, of a substrate support, receiving a firstvoltage and a second voltage corresponding to the first heater elementand the second heater element, respectively, calculating a firstresistance of the first heater element based on the first voltage andthe first current, calculating a second resistance of the second heaterelement based on the second voltage and the second current, andseparately controlling power provided to the first heater element andthe second heater element based on the first resistance and the secondresistance, respectively, and respective relationships between the firstresistance and a first temperature of a first zone of the substratesupport and the second resistance and a second temperature of a secondzone of the substrate support.

In other features, the method includes calculating a first powerassociated with the first heater element based on the first voltage andthe first current and calculating a second power associated with thesecond heater element based on the second voltage and the secondcurrent. The method includes calculating a first temperature of a firstzone of the substrate support based on the first resistance andcalculating a second temperature of a second zone of the substratesupport based on the second resistance. Controlling the power based onthe first resistance and the second resistance includes controlling thepower provided to the first heater element and the second heater elementbased on the first temperature and the second temperature, respectively.

In other features, the method includes calculating the first temperatureand the second temperature based on a thermal coefficient of resistanceof a material of the first heater element and the second heater element.The material has a thermal coefficient of resistance of at least 1.0%.The method includes storing data correlating resistances of the materialwith respective temperatures of the material and calculating the firsttemperature and the second temperature further based on the stored data.The method includes calculating a correction factor based on differencesbetween a plurality of measured temperatures of at least one of thefirst zone and the second zone and a plurality of calculatedtemperatures of the first zone and the second zone and modifying anoutput of a conversion table based on the correction factor.

Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will becomeapparent from the detailed description, the claims and the drawings. Thedetailed description and specific examples are intended for purposes ofillustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of thedisclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure will become more fully understood from thedetailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an example of a substrateprocessing system according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 2A is an example substrate support according to the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 2B is a plan view of an example heater layer of a substrate supportaccording to the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of an example controller accordingto the present disclosure; and

FIG. 4 illustrates an example method for calculating and controllingtemperatures in different zones of a substrate support according to thepresent disclosure.

In the drawings, reference numbers may be reused to identify similarand/or identical elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In film deposition processes such as atomic layer deposition (ALD),various properties of the deposited film vary across a spatial (i.e.,x-y coordinates of a horizontal plane) distribution. For example,substrate processing tools may have respective specifications for filmthickness non-uniformity (NU), which may be measured as a full-range, ahalf-range, and/or a standard deviation of a measurement set taken atpredetermined locations on a surface of a semiconductor substrate. Insome examples, the NU may be reduced either by, for example, addressinga direct cause of the NU and/or introducing a counteracting NU tocompensate and cancel the existing NU. In other examples, material maybe intentionally deposited and/or removed non-uniformly to compensatefor known non-uniformities at other (e.g. previous or subsequent) stepsin a process. In these examples, a predetermined non-uniformdeposition/removal profile may be calculated and used.

Various properties of deposited ALD films may be influenced by atemperature of the substrate during deposition. Accordingly, a substratesupport (e.g., a pedestal such as an ALD pedestal) may implement atemperature control system. For example, during an ALD process (e.g.,deposition of an oxide film), a substrate is arranged on the pedestal.Typically, an ALD pedestal comprises a single temperature-controlledzone. In some examples, an ALD pedestal may include multipletemperature-controlled zones (e.g., a center, inner zone and an outerzone). A heater layer may be embedded within an upper layer of the ALDpedestal. The heater layer may be configured to receive avoltage/current and function as a resistive heather to heat the pedestaland the substrate arranged thereon. The heater layer may be configuredto heat a single zone or to separately heat multiple zones of thepedestal, such as an inner zone and an outer zone.

Typically, a pedestal including a single zone or multiple zones mayinclude only a single temperature sensor arranged in a central region ofthe pedestal due to manufacturing and architecture constraints.Accordingly, accurate control of the temperature of the pedestal islimited. In other words, even in pedestals implementing separatetemperature control for inner and outer zones, accurate control of theouter zone is limited due to uncertainty of the actual temperature ofthe outer zone. For example, due to component and process variations, atemperature of the pedestal (and, therefore, the substrate) in an outerzone is not equivalent to a temperature of the pedestal in the innerzone as indicated by the sensor arranged in the center region.Variations between the temperature in the inner zone and the outer zone(i.e., temperature non-uniformities) may cause substrate processingnon-uniformities and, in extreme cases, damage to the substrate and/orcomponents of the pedestal.

Systems and methods according to the principles of the presentdisclosure are configured to determine and control a temperature of theouter zone of a pedestal independently of the inner zone without aseparate temperature sensor. For example, a pedestal according to thepresent disclosure may include a heater layer including heater elementshaving a high coefficient of thermal resistance (e.g., greater than orequal to 1.0%. For example the heater elements may include, but are notlimited to, molybdenum and nickel heater elements. The material used forthe heater elements has an associated temperature coefficient ofresistance (TCR), which corresponds to an increased resistance (forpositive TCR materials) or a decreased resistance (for negative TCRmaterials) as temperature increases. Accordingly, an overall resistanceof the heater layer is indicative of the temperature of the heaterlayer. A current provided to the heater layer and a voltage across theheater layer may be measured to calculate the resistance of the heaterlayer. Respective temperatures of the outer zone and the inner zone maybe calculated based on changes in the resistance of the heater layer. Inthis manner, temperatures of different zones of the substrate support(and, therefore, of regions of the substrate in the different zones) maybe controlled independently of one another and independent of thermalload and other system transients as described below in more detail.

Referring now to FIG. 1, an example of a substrate processing system 100including a substrate support (e.g., an ALD pedestal) 104 according tothe present disclosure is shown. The substrate support 104 is arrangedwithin a processing chamber 108. A substrate 112 is arranged on thesubstrate support 104 during processing.

A gas delivery system 120 includes gas sources 122-1, 122-2, . . . , and122-N (collectively gas sources 122) that are connected to valves 124-1,124-2, . . . , and 124-N (collectively valves 124) and mass flowcontrollers 126-1, 126-2, . . . , and 126-N (collectively MFCs 126). TheMFCs 126 control flow of gases from the gas sources 122 to a manifold128 where the gases mix. An output of the manifold 128 is supplied viaan optional pressure regulator 132 to a manifold 136. An output of themanifold 136 is input to a multi-injector showerhead 140. While themanifold 128 and 136 are shown, a single manifold can be used.

The substrate support 104 includes a plurality of zones. As shown, thesubstrate support 104 includes an inner (central) zone 144 and an outerzone 148. A temperature of the substrate support 104 may be controlledby using one or more resistive heaters 160 arranged in the substratesupport 104 as described below in more detail.

In some examples, the substrate support 104 may include coolant channels164. Cooling fluid is supplied to the coolant channels 164 from a fluidstorage 168 and a pump 170. Pressure sensors 172, 174 may be arranged inthe manifold 128 or the manifold 136, respectively, to measure pressure.A valve 178 and a pump 180 may be used to evacuate reactants from theprocessing chamber 108 and/or to control pressure within the processingchamber 108.

A controller 182 includes a dose controller 184 that controls dosingprovided by the multi-injector showerhead 140. The controller 182 alsocontrols gas delivery from the gas delivery system 120. The controller182 controls pressure in the processing chamber and/or evacuation ofreactants using the valve 178 and the pump 180. The controller 182controls the temperature of the substrate support 104 and the substrate112 based upon temperature feedback (e.g., from sensors (not shown) inthe substrate support and/or sensors (not shown) measuring coolanttemperature).

Referring now to FIGS. 2A and 2B, a simplified substrate support 200according to the present disclosure is shown schematically and in a planview, respectively. The substrate support 200 includes a conductivebaseplate 204 and a heater layer 208. For example, the heater layer 208may be formed on an upper surface 212 of the baseplate 204. Thebaseplate 204 is arranged within an upper plate (e.g., an aluminumdiffuser plate) 216. Accordingly, the heater layer 208 is embeddedwithin the substrate support 200. A substrate 220 may be arranged on thesubstrate support 200 for processing (e.g., for ALD processing).

As shown, the substrate support 200 (and, accordingly, the heater layer208) includes two zones: an inner, central zone 224-1 and an outer zone224-2, referred to collectively as zones 224. The inner zone 224-1 andthe outer zone 224-2 include respective resistive heater elements 228-1and 228-2, referred to collectively as heater elements 228. For exampleonly, the heater elements 228 are comprised of a material having apositive or negative TCR greater than 1.0%, such as molybdenum, nickel,tungsten, etc. The heater elements 228-1 and 228-2 may be separatelycontrollable. For example, the heater elements 228 may receive power(e.g., current) in response to commands from a controller 232, which maycorrespond to the controller 182 of FIG. 1. In other examples, thesubstrate support 200 may correspond to only a single controllable zoneand heater element. The substrate support 200 may include acentrally-located (i.e., in the inner zone 224-1) temperature sensor236. The controller 232 is configured to calculate resistances of theheater elements 228-1 and 228-2 based on measured current and voltagesassociated with the heater elements 228-1 and 228-2 and calculate andcontrol respective temperatures in the zones 224-1 and 224-2 based onthe calculated resistances as described below in more detail.

Referring now to FIG. 3, an example controller 300 configured tocalculate and control temperatures in the zones 224-1 and 224-2 isshown. The controller 300 receives signals including, but not limitedto, voltage signals 304-1 and current signals 304-2, referred tocollectively as signals 304). The voltage signals 304-1 may includesignals indicating respective voltages of the heater elements 228 of thezones 224. The current signals 304-2 may include signals indicatingrespective currents through the heater elements 228. For example, thevoltage signals 304-1 and the current signals 304-2 may correspond toanalog measurement signals provided from respective sensors 308.

An analog-to-digital (A/D) converter 312 converts the voltage signals304-1 and the current signals 304-2 to digital signals 316. Althoughshown as a single A/D converter 312, the controller 300 may implement adifferent A/D converter for each of the signals 304. A resistancecalculation module 320 is configured to calculate a resistance of eachof the heater elements 228 based on the digital signals 316. Forexample, the resistance calculation module 320 may calculate theresistances based on the indicated voltages and currents in accordancewith Ohm's law and output signals 324 indicating the calculatedresistances. In some examples, the resistance calculation module 320 maycorrect for gain and/or apply an offset to the digital signals 316 priorto calculating the resistances. In some examples, the resistancecalculation module 320 may calculate a power output of each of theheater elements 228 based on the indicated voltages and currents (e.g.,by multiplying voltage and current for each of the heater elements 228)and output signals 328 indicating the calculated power values.

A temperature calculation module 332 according to the present disclosurereceives the calculated resistances for each of the heater elements 228and calculates a temperature in the respective zones 224-1 and 224-2based on the calculated resistances. For example, as described above,the material of the heater elements 228 has a known TCR, which isindicative of resistance changes in response to temperature changes.Accordingly, for a given heater element 228 and material, thetemperature calculation module 332 is configured to calculate changes intemperature of the corresponding zone 224 based on changes inresistance.

For example, a temperature of a zone 224 may be correlated to aresistance of the heater element 228 according to a curve/slope definedby T=TCR*R−T_(C) (Equation 1), where T is the temperature of the zone224, R is the calculated resistance of the heater element 228, TCR is aTCR modifier (e.g., ° C./Ohm), and T_(C) is a temperature constantoffset (e.g., 230° C.). For example, for molybdenum, the temperature ofa heater element may be calculated according to T=(46° C./Ohm)*R−230° C.The temperature calculation module 332 stores data indicating thecorrelation between the temperatures of the zones 224 and theresistances of the heater elements 228. In one example, the temperaturecalculation module 232 stores a resistance to temperature (R/T)conversion table that indexes a range of possible measured resistancesof the heater elements 228 to corresponding temperatures (e.g., in 1° C.intervals) of the zones 224 in accordance with the curve defined byEquation 1. In other examples, the temperature calculation module 224may store and execute a model, a formula, etc. to calculate thetemperatures of the zones 224 based on the calculated resistances. Thetemperature calculation module 332 outputs respective temperatures ofthe zones 224-1 and 224-2 based on the calculated resistances and theR/T conversion table.

The temperature calculation module 332 may generate the R/T conversiontable during an initial calibration (e.g., during manufacture, assembly,servicing, etc. of the processing chamber 108, during installationand/or servicing of the substrate support 200, etc.). For example,during calibration, resistances of the heater elements 228 may becalculated while measuring temperatures in the zones 224 with one ormore temporary temperature sensors (e.g., sensors of a temperaturesensing test substrate arranged on the substrate support 200).

The temperature calculation module 332 may be further configured toapply a variable correction factor to the R/T conversion table. Forexample, the correction factor may shift the curve of the R/T conversionupward or downward. In other words, the correction factor may add anoffset to or subtract an offset from the calculated temperature. Inother examples, the correction factor may correspond to a multiplierthat modifies the calculated temperature. For example, the correctionfactor may correspond to a gain adjustment or other parameter tocompensate for structural or system variations. In other words, althoughthe R/T conversion table or other data stored by the temperaturecalculation module 332 may represent a consistent relationship betweenthe resistance and temperature of the heater elements 228, therelationship between the resistance and temperature of the respectivezones 224 may vary slightly due to system variations (e.g., wiringmodifications, wear and/or erosion of components, etc.). In an examplewhere the R/T conversion table corresponds to T=TCR*R−T_(C) as definedabove in Equation 1, the temperature calculation module 332 may output acorrected temperature T_(COR) according to T_(COR)=T+CF or T_(COR)=CF*T,where CF is the correction factor.

The correction factor may be determined during a startup mode that maybe implemented each time power is initially provided to the substratesupport (e.g., prior to processing of a substrate, when the substratesupport 200 is at a room or other baseline temperature without beingheated, etc.). In one example, during the startup mode, the temperaturecalculation module 332 may calculate the temperature in accordance withthe signals 304 and the signals 324 as described above and compare thecalculated temperature with a sensed temperature signal 336 receivedfrom a temperature sensor 340 (e.g., such as the temperature 236described in FIGS. 2A and 2B). In other words, the temperaturecalculation module 332 may be configured to determine a differencebetween an actual sensed temperature and the calculated temperatures todetermine the correction factor.

The temperature calculation module 332 may be configured to compare thecalculated and sensed temperatures a single time (e.g., at an initialbaseline temperature), at periodic intervals while power is provided tothe heater elements 228 over a predetermined period and the temperatureof the zones 224 increase, while power is provided to the heaterelements 228 non-continuously (e.g., while the power is alternatelyturned on and off), while power is provided to heat only one of theheater elements 228, while the zones 224 are allowed to cool (i.e.,subsequent to power being turned off), etc., and/or combinationsthereof. In this manner, the correction factor may be calculated toaccurately reflect a difference between the calculated temperatures ofthe heater elements 228 and the actual temperatures of the zones 224 andthe R/T conversion table may be updated accordingly.

A temperature control module 344 receives a signal 344 indicating thecalculated temperatures and controls the heater elements 228accordingly. For example, the temperature control module 344 isconfigured to output power control signals 348 to adjust power (e.g.,current) provided to the heater elements 228 based on the calculatedtemperatures. In this manner, the controller 300 is configured toimplement closed-loop control of the temperatures of the zones 224. Thetemperature control module 344 may be further configured to receive theoutput signals 328 indicating the calculated power values and comparethe calculated power values to commanded power indicated by the powercontrol signals 348. In some examples, a difference between commandedand calculated power may be indicative of one or more faults, including,but not limited to, a wiring fault (e.g., disconnected or reversedwiring, a wiring short, etc.). The controller 300 may be configured toindicate the fault to a user (e.g., via a user interface/display 352 ofthe controller 300).

Similarly, the temperature calculation module 332 may be configured todetermine and/or indicate a fault associated with a difference betweenthe calculated temperatures and sensed temperatures (e.g., from thetemperature sensor 340), a difference between respective calculatedtemperatures of the zones 224 (e.g., a difference greater than apredetermined threshold), a difference between the calculatedtemperatures and desired temperatures (e.g., as controlled via thesignals 348), etc. For example, these differences may be furtherindicative of wiring or other faults, such as damaged components of thesubstrate support 200.

Referring now to FIG. 4, an example method 400 for calculating andcontrolling temperatures in different zones of a substrate supportaccording to the present disclosure begins at 404. As described below,the method 400 may be implemented to control temperatures of the zonessuch that the temperatures in different zones are uniform (i.e., therespective zones are maintained at a same temperature) and/ornon-uniform (i.e., the respective zones are intentionally maintained atdifferent temperatures) independent of thermal load and/or othertransients within the substrate processing system. For example, othertransients that may affect substrate and substrate support temperaturesinclude, but are not limited to, movement of the substrate support(e.g., movement of the edge ring), activation, deactivation, and/oradjustment of gas flows, RF power, etc. The temperature controlimplemented by the method 400 compensates for changes in the thermalload and/or other transients to achieve respective desired temperaturesin the different zones as described below in more detail.

For example, the method 400 may control the respective temperatures ofthe zones based on a same or different temperature setpoints. When thetemperature setpoints are different, the temperatures of the zones maybe controlled to maintain a predetermined desired relationship (e.g., apredetermined difference) between the temperatures of the zones. Thesetpoints may vary during the processing of a given substrate.

At 408, the method 400 generates data (e.g., an R/T conversion table)indicating a correlation between the temperatures of the zones 224 andthe resistances of the heater elements 228. For example, the R/Tconversion table is generated in accordance with a TCR of the materialcomprising the heater elements 228 during a calibration process asdescribed above in FIG. 3. At 412, the method 400 determines acorrection factor to apply to the R/T conversion table. For example, thecorrection factor may be determined by comparing sensed temperatures tocalculated temperatures during a startup mode as described above in FIG.3. In some examples, the correction factor may be different for therespective zones 224. For example, during the calibration process,different correction factors may be calculated for each of therespective zones 224.

At 416, the method 400 (e.g., the temperature control module 344)provides power to the heater elements 228 to independently controlrespective temperatures of the zones 224 in accordance with respectivesetpoints. For example, the temperatures of the zones 224 are controlledaccording to desired temperatures during a process performed on asubstrate, such as an ALD process. At 420, the method 400 (e.g., the A/Dconverter 312) receives analog signals corresponding to measuredvoltages and currents of the heater elements 228 and outputs digitalsignals indicating the measured voltages and currents. At 424, themethod 400 (e.g., the resistance calculation module 320) calculatesresistances of the heater elements 228 based on the measured voltagesand currents. In some examples, the resistance calculation module 320may optionally calculate power based on the measured voltages andcurrents.

The desired temperatures for the zones 224 may be the same or differentas described above. Accordingly, the temperature control module 344provides power to the heater elements 228 to selectively maintain thezones 224 at a same temperature and/or at different temperatures inaccordance with the respective setpoints. Accordingly, as the thermalload varies during processing of the substrate, a desired relationshipbetween the temperatures of the zones 224 (i.e., a same or differenttemperatures in accordance with the setpoints) is maintained regardlessof changes in the thermal load.

At 428, the method 400 (e.g., the temperature calculation module 332)calculates respective temperatures in the zones 224 based on thecalculated resistances. For example, the temperature calculation module332 calculates the temperatures using the calculated resistances, theR/T conversion table correlating various resistances of the heaterelements 228 to respective temperatures, and the correction factor asapplied to the R/T conversion table as described above in FIG. 3.

At 432, the method 400 (e.g., the temperature control module 344)determines whether to adjust the temperatures of the zones 224 based onthe calculated temperatures. For example, the temperature control module344 may determine whether to adjust a power provided to the heatherelements 228 based on a comparison (e.g., a difference) between thecalculated temperatures and desired temperatures of the zones 224, therespective temperature setpoints of the zones 224, and/or the desiredrelationship between the zones 224 (i.e., whether the temperatures ofthe zones 224 are to be maintained at a same temperature, differenttemperatures, in accordance with a predetermined temperature offsetbetween the zones 224, etc.). If true, the method 400 continues to 436.If false, the method 400 continues to 416. At 436, the method 400 (e.g.,the temperature control module 344) selectively adjusts the powerprovided to the heater elements 228. For example, the method 400 mayadjust the power to the heater elements 228 of only one of the zones 224or two or more of the zones 224. In other words, the power provided tothe heater elements 228 may be adjusted independently in each of thezones 224.

Typically, a rate adjustment of the power provided to the heaterelements 228 to adjust the temperature may be limited. For example,because accurate temperatures of the zones 224 are not known and mayonly be estimated based on a sensor in only one of the zones 224, therate of adjustment may be limited to prevent damage to the substratesupport. Conversely, because the method 400 according to the principlesof the present disclosure calculates the temperatures of each of thezones 224 as described above, the rate of adjustment may besignificantly increased. For example, the rate of adjustment of thepower provided to the heather elements may correspond to at least 10° C.per minute. In some examples, the rate of adjustment is between 15 and20° C. per minute.

The foregoing description is merely illustrative in nature and is in noway intended to limit the disclosure, its application, or uses. Thebroad teachings of the disclosure can be implemented in a variety offorms. Therefore, while this disclosure includes particular examples,the true scope of the disclosure should not be so limited since othermodifications will become apparent upon a study of the drawings, thespecification, and the following claims. It should be understood thatone or more steps within a method may be executed in different order (orconcurrently) without altering the principles of the present disclosure.Further, although each of the embodiments is described above as havingcertain features, any one or more of those features described withrespect to any embodiment of the disclosure can be implemented in and/orcombined with features of any of the other embodiments, even if thatcombination is not explicitly described. In other words, the describedembodiments are not mutually exclusive, and permutations of one or moreembodiments with one another remain within the scope of this disclosure.

Spatial and functional relationships between elements (for example,between modules, circuit elements, semiconductor layers, etc.) aredescribed using various terms, including “connected,” “engaged,”“coupled,” “adjacent,” “next to,” “on top of,” “above,” “below,” and“disposed.” Unless explicitly described as being “direct,” when arelationship between first and second elements is described in the abovedisclosure, that relationship can be a direct relationship where noother intervening elements are present between the first and secondelements, but can also be an indirect relationship where one or moreintervening elements are present (either spatially or functionally)between the first and second elements. As used herein, the phrase atleast one of A, B, and C should be construed to mean a logical (A OR BOR C), using a non-exclusive logical OR, and should not be construed tomean “at least one of A, at least one of B, and at least one of C.”

In some implementations, a controller is part of a system, which may bepart of the above-described examples. Such systems can comprisesemiconductor processing equipment, including a processing tool ortools, chamber or chambers, a platform or platforms for processing,and/or specific processing components (a wafer pedestal, a gas flowsystem, etc.). These systems may be integrated with electronics forcontrolling their operation before, during, and after processing of asemiconductor wafer or substrate. The electronics may be referred to asthe “controller,” which may control various components or subparts ofthe system or systems. The controller, depending on the processingrequirements and/or the type of system, may be programmed to control anyof the processes disclosed herein, including the delivery of processinggases, temperature settings (e.g., heating and/or cooling), pressuresettings, vacuum settings, power settings, radio frequency (RF)generator settings, RF matching circuit settings, frequency settings,flow rate settings, fluid delivery settings, positional and operationsettings, wafer transfers into and out of a tool and other transfertools and/or load locks connected to or interfaced with a specificsystem.

Broadly speaking, the controller may be defined as electronics havingvarious integrated circuits, logic, memory, and/or software that receiveinstructions, issue instructions, control operation, enable cleaningoperations, enable endpoint measurements, and the like. The integratedcircuits may include chips in the form of firmware that store programinstructions, digital signal processors (DSPs), chips defined asapplication specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and/or one or moremicroprocessors, or microcontrollers that execute program instructions(e.g., software). Program instructions may be instructions communicatedto the controller in the form of various individual settings (or programfiles), defining operational parameters for carrying out a particularprocess on or for a semiconductor wafer or to a system. The operationalparameters may, in some embodiments, be part of a recipe defined byprocess engineers to accomplish one or more processing steps during thefabrication of one or more layers, materials, metals, oxides, silicon,silicon dioxide, surfaces, circuits, and/or dies of a wafer.

The controller, in some implementations, may be a part of or coupled toa computer that is integrated with the system, coupled to the system,otherwise networked to the system, or a combination thereof. Forexample, the controller may be in the “cloud” or all or a part of a fabhost computer system, which can allow for remote access of the waferprocessing. The computer may enable remote access to the system tomonitor current progress of fabrication operations, examine a history ofpast fabrication operations, examine trends or performance metrics froma plurality of fabrication operations, to change parameters of currentprocessing, to set processing steps to follow a current processing, orto start a new process. In some examples, a remote computer (e.g. aserver) can provide process recipes to a system over a network, whichmay include a local network or the Internet. The remote computer mayinclude a user interface that enables entry or programming of parametersand/or settings, which are then communicated to the system from theremote computer. In some examples, the controller receives instructionsin the form of data, which specify parameters for each of the processingsteps to be performed during one or more operations. It should beunderstood that the parameters may be specific to the type of process tobe performed and the type of tool that the controller is configured tointerface with or control. Thus as described above, the controller maybe distributed, such as by comprising one or more discrete controllersthat are networked together and working towards a common purpose, suchas the processes and controls described herein. An example of adistributed controller for such purposes would be one or more integratedcircuits on a chamber in communication with one or more integratedcircuits located remotely (such as at the platform level or as part of aremote computer) that combine to control a process on the chamber.

Without limitation, example systems may include a plasma etch chamber ormodule, a deposition chamber or module, a spin-rinse chamber or module,a metal plating chamber or module, a clean chamber or module, a beveledge etch chamber or module, a physical vapor deposition (PVD) chamberor module, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) chamber or module, anatomic layer deposition (ALD) chamber or module, an atomic layer etch(ALE) chamber or module, an ion implantation chamber or module, a trackchamber or module, and any other semiconductor processing systems thatmay be associated or used in the fabrication and/or manufacturing ofsemiconductor wafers.

As noted above, depending on the process step or steps to be performedby the tool, the controller might communicate with one or more of othertool circuits or modules, other tool components, cluster tools, othertool interfaces, adjacent tools, neighboring tools, tools locatedthroughout a factory, a main computer, another controller, or tools usedin material transport that bring containers of wafers to and from toollocations and/or load ports in a semiconductor manufacturing factory.

The foregoing description is merely illustrative in nature and is in noway intended to limit the disclosure, its application, or uses. Thebroad teachings of the disclosure can be implemented in a variety offorms. Therefore, while this disclosure includes particular examples,the true scope of the disclosure should not be so limited since othermodifications will become apparent upon a study of the drawings, thespecification, and the following claims. It should be understood thatone or more steps within a method may be executed in different order (orconcurrently) without altering the principles of the present disclosure.Further, although each of the embodiments is described above as havingcertain features, any one or more of those features described withrespect to any embodiment of the disclosure can be implemented in and/orcombined with features of any of the other embodiments, even if thatcombination is not explicitly described. In other words, the describedembodiments are not mutually exclusive, and permutations of one or moreembodiments with one another remain within the scope of this disclosure.

Spatial and functional relationships between elements (for example,between modules, circuit elements, semiconductor layers, etc.) aredescribed using various terms, including “connected,” “engaged,”“coupled,” “adjacent,” “next to,” “on top of,” “above,” “below,” and“disposed.” Unless explicitly described as being “direct,” when arelationship between first and second elements is described in the abovedisclosure, that relationship can be a direct relationship where noother intervening elements are present between the first and secondelements, but can also be an indirect relationship where one or moreintervening elements are present (either spatially or functionally)between the first and second elements. As used herein, the phrase atleast one of A, B, and C should be construed to mean a logical (A OR BOR C), using a non-exclusive logical OR, and should not be construed tomean “at least one of A, at least one of B, and at least one of C.”

In some implementations, a controller is part of a system, which may bepart of the above-described examples. Such systems can comprisesemiconductor processing equipment, including a processing tool ortools, chamber or chambers, a platform or platforms for processing,and/or specific processing components (a wafer pedestal, a gas flowsystem, etc.). These systems may be integrated with electronics forcontrolling their operation before, during, and after processing of asemiconductor wafer or substrate. The electronics may be referred to asthe “controller,” which may control various components or subparts ofthe system or systems. The controller, depending on the processingrequirements and/or the type of system, may be programmed to control anyof the processes disclosed herein, including the delivery of processinggases, temperature settings (e.g., heating and/or cooling), pressuresettings, vacuum settings, power settings, radio frequency (RF)generator settings, RF matching circuit settings, frequency settings,flow rate settings, fluid delivery settings, positional and operationsettings, wafer transfers into and out of a tool and other transfertools and/or load locks connected to or interfaced with a specificsystem.

Broadly speaking, the controller may be defined as electronics havingvarious integrated circuits, logic, memory, and/or software that receiveinstructions, issue instructions, control operation, enable cleaningoperations, enable endpoint measurements, and the like. The integratedcircuits may include chips in the form of firmware that store programinstructions, digital signal processors (DSPs), chips defined asapplication specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and/or one or moremicroprocessors, or microcontrollers that execute program instructions(e.g., software). Program instructions may be instructions communicatedto the controller in the form of various individual settings (or programfiles), defining operational parameters for carrying out a particularprocess on or for a semiconductor wafer or to a system. The operationalparameters may, in some embodiments, be part of a recipe defined byprocess engineers to accomplish one or more processing steps during thefabrication of one or more layers, materials, metals, oxides, silicon,silicon dioxide, surfaces, circuits, and/or dies of a wafer.

The controller, in some implementations, may be a part of or coupled toa computer that is integrated with the system, coupled to the system,otherwise networked to the system, or a combination thereof. Forexample, the controller may be in the “cloud” or all or a part of a fabhost computer system, which can allow for remote access of the waferprocessing. The computer may enable remote access to the system tomonitor current progress of fabrication operations, examine a history ofpast fabrication operations, examine trends or performance metrics froma plurality of fabrication operations, to change parameters of currentprocessing, to set processing steps to follow a current processing, orto start a new process. In some examples, a remote computer (e.g. aserver) can provide process recipes to a system over a network, whichmay include a local network or the Internet. The remote computer mayinclude a user interface that enables entry or programming of parametersand/or settings, which are then communicated to the system from theremote computer. In some examples, the controller receives instructionsin the form of data, which specify parameters for each of the processingsteps to be performed during one or more operations. It should beunderstood that the parameters may be specific to the type of process tobe performed and the type of tool that the controller is configured tointerface with or control. Thus as described above, the controller maybe distributed, such as by comprising one or more discrete controllersthat are networked together and working towards a common purpose, suchas the processes and controls described herein. An example of adistributed controller for such purposes would be one or more integratedcircuits on a chamber in communication with one or more integratedcircuits located remotely (such as at the platform level or as part of aremote computer) that combine to control a process on the chamber.

Without limitation, example systems may include a plasma etch chamber ormodule, a deposition chamber or module, a spin-rinse chamber or module,a metal plating chamber or module, a clean chamber or module, a beveledge etch chamber or module, a physical vapor deposition (PVD) chamberor module, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) chamber or module, anatomic layer deposition (ALD) chamber or module, an atomic layer etch(ALE) chamber or module, an ion implantation chamber or module, a trackchamber or module, and any other semiconductor processing systems thatmay be associated or used in the fabrication and/or manufacturing ofsemiconductor wafers.

As noted above, depending on the process step or steps to be performedby the tool, the controller might communicate with one or more of othertool circuits or modules, other tool components, cluster tools, othertool interfaces, adjacent tools, neighboring tools, tools locatedthroughout a factory, a main computer, another controller, or tools usedin material transport that bring containers of wafers to and from toollocations and/or load ports in a semiconductor manufacturing factory.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for controlling temperature of asubstrate support in a substrate processing system, the methodcomprising: receiving a first current and a second current correspondingto a first heater element and a second heater element, respectively, ofa substrate support; receiving a first voltage and a second voltagecorresponding to the first heater element and the second heater element,respectively; calculating a first resistance of the first heater elementbased on the first voltage and the first current; calculating a secondresistance of the second heater element based on the second voltage andthe second current; calculating a first temperature of a first zone ofthe substrate support based on the first resistance and stored datacorrelating resistances to temperatures; calculating a secondtemperature of a second zone of the substrate support based on thesecond resistance and the stored data; selectively adjusting the storeddata based on a comparison between a sensed temperature and at least oneof the calculated first temperature and second temperature; andseparately controlling power provided to the first heater element andthe second heater element based on the first resistance and the secondresistance, respectively, and respective relationships between (i) thefirst resistance and the first temperature and (ii) the secondresistance and the second temperature.
 2. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising (i) calculating a first power associated with the firstheater element based on the first voltage and the first current and (ii)calculating a second power associated with the second heater elementbased on the second voltage and the second current.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, wherein controlling the power based on the first resistance andthe second resistance includes controlling the power provided to thefirst heater element and the second heater element based on the firsttemperature and the second temperature, respectively.
 4. The method ofclaim 3, further comprising calculating the first temperature and thesecond temperature based on a thermal coefficient of resistance of amaterial of the first heater element and the second heater element. 5.The method of claim 4, wherein the material has a thermal coefficient ofresistance of at least 1.0%.
 6. The method of claim 4, wherein thestored data includes data correlating resistances of the material withrespective temperatures of the material.
 7. The method of claim 6,wherein the stored data includes a conversion table.
 8. The method ofclaim 7, further comprising (i) calculating a correction factor based ondifferences between a plurality of measured temperatures of at least oneof the first zone and the second zone and a plurality of calculatedtemperatures of the first zone and the second zone and (ii) modifying anoutput of the conversion table based on the correction factor.
 9. Themethod of claim 3, further comprising calculating the first temperatureand the second temperature during an atomic layer deposition process.10. The method of claim 3, further comprising, in response to a changein a thermal load in the first zone causing a change in the firstresistance, adjusting the power provided to the first heater element.11. The method of claim 3, further comprising adjusting the powerprovided to the first heater element and the second heater element suchthat the first temperature and the second temperature are different. 12.The method of claim 1, further comprising, using a controller,controlling an atomic layer deposition process performed on a substratearranged on the substrate support.
 13. A method for controllingtemperature of a substrate support in a substrate processing system, themethod comprising: receiving a first current and a second currentcorresponding to a first heater element and a second heater element,respectively, of the substrate support; receiving a first voltage and asecond voltage corresponding to the first heater element and the secondheater element, respectively; calculating a first resistance of thefirst heater element based on the first voltage and the first current;calculating a second resistance of the second heater element based onthe second voltage and the second current; calculating a firsttemperature of a first zone of the substrate support based on the firstresistance and stored data correlating resistances to temperatures;calculating a second temperature of a second zone of the substratesupport based on the second resistance and the stored data; andselectively adjusting the stored data based on a comparison between asensed temperature and at least one of the calculated first temperatureand second temperature.